As blood oranges head out of season, I decided to make a final batch of marmalade but am using a different recipe this time around. Entitled Sicilian Blood Orange Marmalade, it instructs you to prick the oranges all over and soak them in a tub of water for four days, changing the water each day. This is to remove much of the bitterness innate in orange rind. True Sicilian blood oranges are the Tarocco variety, a relative of the Sanguinello from Spain. I've not seen either of these here; what I've been purchasing is the Moro variety, related to the others but with more bitterness and a deeply colored, variegated flesh. Presently, three pounds are soaking away and later this week, I'll get busy with them.
I also got some zucchini, bean and radish seeds planted today in the little cowpots I ordered and which arrived yesterday. Not the greenest thumb around, I nonetheless remain hopeful that one day the spirits will conspire to give me enough sun, remind me to water regularly and keep random pests at bay.

In the meantime, I decided that tonight will be Crostini Night!! Yum! I'd set some cannellini beans to soak last night so just cooked them up with some garlic and finally harvested that enormous radicchio which I'll stew into them. Concurrently I caramelized some red and yellow onions, will be making a chopped tomato relish, and we ran out and got some mozzarella, baguette, olives and other goodies.

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